The considerations to establish a Peace Academy in Rhineland-Palatinate date back to the coalition agreement of the state government in 2011. In November 2013, the "audit engagement" from the coalition agreement led to the founding of the Supporting Association "Friedensakademie Rheinland-Pfalz - Akademie für Krisenprävention und zivile Konfliktbearbeitung e.V." (Peace Academy Rhineland-Palatinate - Academy for Crisis Prevention and Civil Conflict Transformation), which involved 15 personalities from various educational institutions and civil society initiatives. In spring 2014, a workshop was held with experts from peace and conflict research to develop the profile of the institution, which was to combine peace studies research with civil society engagement.

In January 2014, the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate took up the idea of founding a Peace Academy again in a resolution (namely, "Rhineland-Palatinate promotes peace education", Drs. 16/3025). In this resolution, the state government was asked to "support the work of the Association 'Friedensakademie Rheinland-Pfalz - Akademie für Krisenprävention und zivile Konfliktbearbeitung e.V.'". In the 2014/15 state budget, financial resources were then made available for the first time for the establishment of the Peace Academy.

In July 2014, the University of Koblenz-Landau granted the Association the status of a "special academic institution" in accordance with § 96 HochSchG, so that on 1 September 2014 (Anti-War Day) the first recruitments were carried out and work could thus begin in the "Frank-Loebsches Haus" in Landau. The academic management comprised the first chairman of the Supporting Association, Prof. em. Dr. Ulrich Sarcinelli, the managing director Dr. Sascha Werthes and, as a full-time university lecturer at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Janpeter Schilling. In the presence of representatives from politics, business, academia and the media, the Academy was officially established at the Hambach Castle on 9 March 2015.

In 2019, the institutional and staff consolidation process was completed: While safeguarding the academy character, the full integration of the Peace Academy as a "central academic institution" according to § 90 HochSchG into the university was concluded; Dr Charlotte Dany took over the management and Jun.-Prof. Janpeter Schilling the academic management. With the full integration of the Peace Academy into the university, the Supporting Association had fulfilled its actual task and changed its name to "Association of Friends and Supporters of the Peace Academy" in 2019. Its task is now to provide ideational and material support for the peace research and peace political activities of the Peace Academy as well as for the development of civil and preventive strategies of conflict and crisis management.